Yes, they are told to again be a little better than the MM, but I’m still strugglin to order at least the Blue Train Album as SRX version as I already have even 2 Gray mastered versions of it. To update the Music Matters releases generally with SRX is much too expensive in Europe.
I hate this reissuing of the same masterings again and again 
Yes that Blue train SRX is no long available and hard to get; There are lots of vents about MM’s marketing and I can see why; I am new to blue note and just started from scratch, so MM’s re-issue is not bad since I don’t have duplicates (yet); I also start to pick up some titles from Tone Poet that is much reasonably priced and done by same folks (Kevin Gray / RTI), which is pretty high quality as well (shown below)
I think the music is really the essentials. I heard recent youtube channel discussing how younger generations are attracted to classic jazz / Blue note, and vinyl, there are some magic about the art / literature / music for that period;
Yes, I usually buy every album of those various reissue series which is important for me, even some Gray Blue Note masterings only available in Japan.
Just the VMP was a hard decision as they want you to buy a whole series with unknown titles of which I just wanted one.
Very last chance to get those two RSD 2019 releases somewhere, especially the Bill Evans!
The Bill Evans vinyl has the Grundman mastering again (usually the digital version doesn’t). Music is essential for every Bill Evans fan, regardless how many times you already have those tracks on albums. Sound quality isn’t too good from this live session (still nice to listen to), but Grundman for sure made the best out of it. Especially from side C the music is marvelous.
Then a 10 inch Chet Baker release. Side one is kind of obsolete imo, but side 2 is a really nice large group session with really good mono sound (better depth than some stereo records).
Both recommended for jazznuts.
Hey JN! Do you know of how I can get my hands on the Evans vinyl? I looked and could only find the digital. Please let me know asap! Thanks.
Adam
I’d look for „Bill Evans in England“ at Discogs now, you will hardly get it cheaper than this.
I found one still unopened in Singapore and is on its way. $85 plus $20 shipping. Ugh.
Great to hear you got one! It’s always a hunt
A very serious recommendation as I’m just listening to the 2nd Symphony of them!
Analogphinic released the whole Bernstein/Mahler symphony set on DG some time ago and I checked that it’s still available at Acousticsounds. Get this while you can! Essential interpretation for every Mahler fan with fantastic dynamic sound. I have so many Mahler symphony versions incl. several complete sets, also the Tilson Thomas on SACD and vinyl or the Solti on Decca Speakers Corner reissues. All are great but the Bernstein are with them on the very top of the list.
One part of it is mastered by Kevin Gray, the other part at Emil Berliner Studios. Couldn’t believe it’s not yet sold out, you bet it’s worth a ton once it is.
The sound is out of another world compared to the CD versions and also better than the original DG LP‘s which I have, too.
This is a must vinyl set if you like Mahler and can benefit from better vinyl masterings.
Here’ an RCA-related entry for the thread. And I have a few spare minutes this afternoon. Last I checked, these are all still available from the House of Chad.
I realize Henry Mancini is not everyone’s cup of tea, but I have been playing the hell out of the three 45 RPM reissues from Analogue Productions. The Music from Peter Gunn is the earliest of the three, and sounds cleaner and more detailed than I have ever heard it–the mastering makes it easy to pick out the individual instruments now. Some of the tracks can sound a little muddy since RCA liked cranking up the reverb on the then-new stereo format. (Some argue the mono is better…sorry, but I will take the stereo version, and I own both.) This album spurred the “crime jazz” accompaniment in television series, and was a million-selling jazz album when most RCA jazz releases were considered successful if they sold 50,000 copies. (Needless to say, RCA was overwhelmed by the sales, even to the point of having to issue some original copies of Peter Gunn in alternate generic jackets since they could not keep up with printing.)
Hatari! is one that I have heard was used by some as demo material–the track “Sounds of Hatari” is full of percussion instruments, that build to a crescendo by the end of the track. This sequence accompanies the action during the opening of the film, during a wild game hunt. With “Baby Elephant Walk,” you can hear the steam- (or air-) driven calliope much clearer than on other versions.
The soundtrack to The Pink Panther is sumptuous. It’s definitely rooted in easy listening, with sax and violins. (One can never have too much sax and violins in movies, especially when said saxophone is courtesy of Plas Johnson.) What kicks this up a notch, aside from Peter Sellers’ liner notes, are the brief improvised jazz solos sprinkled throughout the tracks. Amusing footnote–I’ve heard this album my entire life, and I still have some of the scratches memorized from our old mono LP that I played to death back in the day. I’ve had digital versions of this, but they never sounded right. This mastering nails it.
RCA had quite a good sound on many of these classic albums. I asked Chad if AP was going to reissue more Mancini titles, but no, it’s not happening. A shame, since there are a few more that would be great candidates, like the big band album Uniquely Mancini that out-swings many other big band albums I own.
Today a hint to an in print album which most probably will shortly be out of print. I just ordered one a few days after its release, one of 1884 sets of this rare case of a symphony orchestra direct to disc recording not released in any other format.
There’s a lot to tell, especially about the gorgeous outfit and care taken for design, make and content of the box. It’s even better than the Mahler SFS Symphony box. The best I have seen so far. So, a lot to tell, but after I read Michael Fremers report, there was nearly nothing to add. He nailed everything from the outfit to specific descriptions of the sound, some hidden between the lines.
He gave it a 11 out of 11 for sound quality. Where I want to get a bit deeper is what I read between the lines that matched my observation.
Also for me the sound quality is very good., dynamic, direct, detailed, black in background and very well controlled and transparent alsoin the lower frequency spectrum.
But imo it’s not the most exceptional sound quality we use to know, which Fremer excellently describes in extremely positive words which I translate for you to straight talk
Read Fremer’s positive version of some findings here:
———.
“So, don’t expect to experience a big reverberant space because that’s not the hall sound. Instead, it’s surprisingly direct and even somewhat dry, but as intended, despite the minimal miking, you hear everything all sublimely and effortlessly balanced and rendered in three-dimensional space not limited by recording tape or Pro-Tools digital sampling and processing.
…if it sounds too bright, it’s your system! When everything’s in balance, you are in the concert hall (not in an artificially created multi-miked non-existent space, where perhaps there’s more “detail” due to twenty odd microphones strewn throughout the hall). Also, the black backgrounds and unrestrained dynamics mean that if you start with the volume too high, when the big explosive sections arrive, they will be unnaturally LOUD“
———-
And I’d put it a little more straight:
——-
Don’t expect a sensational soundstage as used to from e.g. Reference Recordings, the concert hall doesn’t sound really spectacular and so does the recordIngs soundstaging.
The recording does indeed sound direct and a bit dry with not the most air around instruments in upper string sound.
——-
So is it still a recommendation in my eyes? Yes, alone for the perfect outfit and the rare chance to hear a Symphony direct disc recording.It sounds great in a special way, just don’t expect an extremely airy, lush, big, charming string and horn sound…as Michael wrote…it sounds a little dry, which you might not have expected from this all tube recording setup…if that’s all just a question of the concert hall I don’t know. I’d give it a 10/10 considering positively the D2D benefits and special D2D sound.
(I revised the initial report due to a not recognized interim config problem before)
Just ordered thanks jazznut!
The next D2D symphony release and Even better sounding than the one mentioned above. Very transparent, dynamic and lively, buy it as long as you can. Official release from 4th of September, but party available earlier.
Here the Oscar goes to best cover, best record color, best sound, best music, best compositions. If you like modern string quartet recordings as I do.
I already recommended the 24/96 digital release of this gorgeous recording and performance. Now it’s available as DLP.
I strongly guess it must be from a 24/96 digital recording just as the files, too, but at least in case your turntable sounds better than your digital rig, you will notice this even much more here on this vinyl. More intense, more tension, more transparency and more air between instruments in the room, I love this record! But if you listen just to the files, you won’t miss anything, already sounds great!
Strong recommendation for folks who like this kind of music!
This record will shortly be out of print. It’s very direct and dynamic sounding, near perfect with great music. Strongly recommended!
Thank you, thank you, this recording is magical I just ordered it!
It’s expensive but essential. Get this One Step vinyl while you still can…the definite version of this album although the 45RPM Classic Records version was great, too but no perfect EQ, the ORG 45RPM version even better in Hi-Fi terms but with quite awful EQ setting.
This one nails it plus the great dynamics of those One Step.
I concurr. If you enjoy MIngus, appreciate Ah Um, and spin vinyl this is the one to own.
I just listen to more of it and it really is exceptional in everything, really worth the price, a show case vinyl item. I can only recommend again to buy or cry later…the last ones run out during the next weeks I guess…and they will soon be over 500$.
I must say I hesitated at the list price, much less a premium price. This one came together for me, Artist, performance, format and package. Not a MoFi fanboy MoFi in general. In the '70s the Mofi appeal, at least in my mind, was a quality vinyl product as much of what was on the market had pressing issues. Then they got into re-mixing which was hit and miss at best.
